A recent poll by the Knights of Columbus and Marist College Institute for Public Opinion on civility in public discourse confirms what many of us have observed: the tone of political conversations today is laden with too much negativity and disrespect.

Genealogy is a popular hobby for many people, and I’ve been trying to learn more in recent years about the roots and branches of my own family tree to complement the stories my parents and grandparents told me as a child. The recent release of 1940 U.S. Census data was an opportunity to fill in some gaps and learn a few details I’ve been thinking a lot about as the July 4 holiday approaches.